Family Policies: Interface Of Gender, Work, And The Sacredisation Of The Child

10.1163/ej.9789004166424.i-341.14

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Chapter Summary

Family policies in Singapore cover a wide spectrum and affect family life in various areas. When we look at family policies in Singapore, we see incentives and disincentives that are aligned to prescribed ideals. When the nation-state was developing in the period 1966 to 1982, population policies were focused on population control. The Family Planning and Population Board was formed in 1966, when the government took over control of all responsibilities for family planning, and the tag line was ?Stop At Two? (Wong, 1979). In 2000, the government introduced what is popularly termed the ?Baby Bonus? scheme, which was further enhanced in 2004. The latest survey conducted on marriage and divorce in Singapore in 2005, showed that women continue to be responsible for most of the domestic responsibilities. The chapter highlights the interweave between the ideologies of gender, work, and the family?in particular, expectations of parenthood and childhood.

Keywords: Baby Bonus scheme; family planning; family policies; nation-state; population control; population control.; population policies; Singapore